"No, no!" Zhong Zhiheng frowned and said impatiently, "Let her rest early. What kind of words are you saying to not let Ming Zheng leave the palace so late?"
The third prince, Zhong Mingzheng, is already 22 years old this year and has already married and had children. It is naturally not appropriate for him to always go in and out of the harem, especially since it is already dark now.
"Yes. I obey your command." Zhao Ruhai bowed and retreated, but he turned back and walked in front of Zhong Zhiheng, saying softly, "Your Majesty. Dai Jingfeng is here."
Zhong Zhiheng's eyes, which were originally narrowed, gradually opened, and he said slowly: "Let him in."
"Yes." Zhao Ruhai responded and went out hurriedly.
After a while, a muscular man in black came in with a beaded curtain. He was about fifty years old. He looked average, but his eyes were very bright. He walked in front of Zhong Zhiheng, knelt on his knees and kowtowed, saying, "Your Highness, I greet you. I wish you the best of times!"
"Get up," Zhong Zhiheng said slowly, taking a sip of tea. He suddenly frowned and looked at the tea in his hand, then threw the teacup on the small table and looked at Dai Jingfeng, "I've kept you running around outside for the past few months. You've worked hard."
Dai Jingfeng is the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He used to be Zhong Zhiheng's personal bodyguard and a close confidant of Zhong Zhiheng. Later, when Zhong Zhiheng ascended the throne, he promoted Dai Jingfeng to the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Dai Jingfeng is now quite old, and most of his official duties outside the capital are handled by his trusted subordinates. It must be a big deal for him to leave the capital in person.
"Your Majesty, you are too kind to me. I do not deserve it at all." Dai Jingfeng bowed hurriedly.
"Okay, stop standing there, sit down and talk," Zhong Zhiheng raised his chin, pointed at the chair opposite him, and asked Dai Jingfeng, "How is the task I asked you to do going?"
"Your Majesty, I have been hiding in southern Xinjiang for several months before returning to Beijing, and I have gained a lot," Dai Jingfeng said hurriedly with a slight smile on his face. "Your Majesty has always been worried that the Empress Dowager is too involved with the Xu family, but in my opinion, Your Majesty is probably overthinking."
"Oh? Why do you think so?" Zhong Zhiheng raised his eyebrows and leaned against the soft pillow.
"Your Majesty, please understand. Ever since the news of the deposed crown prince reached southern Xinjiang, General Xu Chengjin of Zhennan has been furious. Within two months of the incident, Xu Chengjin actually sent eleven letters to the empress dowager. I intercepted three of them, all of which were Xu Chengjin's complaints about the empress dowager. He wrote clearly in the letters that he blamed the empress dowager for not interceding for the deposed crown prince and not protecting him, which led to him falling into such a situation. His sharp words clearly showed that he did not take the empress dowager, his aunt, seriously," Dai Jingfeng said, pausing and then saying, "And I also noticed a detail. During the Mid-Autumn Festival this year, Xu Chengjin sent people to the capital to deliver gifts as in previous years. The gifts sent to the Cining Palace were still a cart, which seemed to be no different from previous years. However, the gifts in the box were definitely different from previous years. It was only one-tenth of the gifts in previous years."
"It seems that he is really angry. The Queen Mother has always loved this nephew the most. I'm sure she is disappointed now." Zhong Zhiheng pursed his lips sarcastically. "But we can't blame Xu Chengjin for his temper. The Xu family has been a famous family for hundreds of years, but by his generation, it has shown signs of fatigue. Now that the deposed crown prince has fallen, the Xu family will naturally be the most unlucky."
Zhong Zhiheng was right. Why was the Xu family so prominent? It was simply because all the empresses of the Great Zhou Dynasty were surnamed Xu, and all the emperors were from the Xu family. Now that the crown prince of the East Palace, who had the blood of the Xu family, had fallen, the impact on the Xu family was undoubtedly fatal. It was no wonder that Xu Chengjin was so angry.
"Your Majesty is right. I feel that from now on, the relationship between the Empress Dowager and Xu Chengjin as aunt and nephew will be difficult to repair." Dai Jingfeng said.
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